The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Former Blazer James Naile Shines Professionally
10/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Former UAB baseball player James Naile had a strong season for the Oakland Athletics organization in the minor league ranks this past season. The 23-year old won the 2016 Rawlings Gold Glove Award at the Minor League level for pitchers and started for the Midland Rockhounds on September 16 to win the Class-AA title.
Naile was perfect in the field on 48 chances over 156.2 innings pitched in 28 games (26 starts) across Class-A Beloit and Stockton, Double-A Midland and Triple-A Nashville. He finished this season with nine wins while posting a 3.39 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and struck out 125 batters. Naile was drafted in the 20th round by Oakland in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft.
“As the season went on, I didn’t really think about it too much,” said Naile on his efforts in the field. “It’s something I worked on growing up, taking a lot of pride in defense. That part of the game, as a pitcher, gets pushed under the rug too much. You don’t think about how valuable you are in the middle of the field, but I take a lot of pride in it and work hard to continue to get better.”
Naile’s one playoff appearance this year and was a key performance. He toed the rubber for the Rockhounds against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and pitched six shutout innings. Naile gave up just two hits and two walks while striking out four. It was just his fourth start at the AA level this season.
“That was incredible,” said Naile on receiving the start for Midland in the championship clinching victory. “One of the highlights of my career. To be apart of that group of guys is special. I joined up with them late in the year, right before the playoffs started. I had 12 days between my starts. There was a lot of nerves and build up to it. I was a little off my routine having nearly two weeks off. It was really special to stay locked in. I worked really hard to stay sharp just in case I got an opportunity.”
“Every game should be the same as an intrasquad that the guys throw here in the fall with no one watching,” said UAB head coach Brian Shoop. “James was great at that. He pitched the opening night of the conference tournament in 2015 against the host, Southern Miss, and shut them out. This is nothing new for him and I am very proud of him.”
The former Blazer overcame Tommy John surgery in June of 2013 to post 10 wins in 2015 for UAB, tying the single-season record, while compiling a 2.63 ERA. Naile recorded 10 quality starts in 2015 in 16 tries, allowing one earned run or less in nine outings. He held opposing hitters to a .196 batting average that season, and ranks second in UAB history in career ERA (3.28) and fourth in wins (17).
“It’s hard to put into words what the UAB program means to me,” said Naile. “It prepared me and everybody that has come to this program for baseball and life. That’s something we stressed all the years at UAB. You just go out and do the best you can do. If you do the work and prepare yourself, you don’t have to do anything differently.”
“That’s something I’ve taken all the way through my professional career so far,” continued Naile. “Really, just going back to the UAB philosophy, what you do in practice is good enough for the game. The coaches do such a good job of getting players prepared for the next level of baseball and life.”
“I’m not surprised,” said Shoop regarding Naile’s success as a professional. “He was the best pitcher in C-USA two years ago. He was a mainstay for us and he was our number one guy after Alex (Luna) went down. I’m not surprised at all that he’s doing well. He has the right stuff and the right temperament. I think that he will keep getting better and he legitimately has a chance to pitch in the big leagues.”
Naile is excited about continuing his professional career and looking to improve.
“This year opened my eyes a lot to baseball,” stated Naile. “Now that I’ve seen all the levels and had success, I’ve seen what it takes. It’s been an incredible year for my mindset. It pushes me even harder to know I’m that close to making the majors. The success all year just pushes me harder and makes me thankful for all the people that have helped me get this far. I hope going forward to just stay healthy and get better this offseason and be ready to rock and roll for spring training next year.
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